Susan's Place Transgender Resources

News and Events => People news => Topic started by: Shana A on November 04, 2011, 09:42:58 AM

Title: Journey to manhood: a former ‘transsexual’ tells his story
Post by: Shana A on November 04, 2011, 09:42:58 AM
Journey to manhood: a former 'transsexual' tells his story

by Peter Baklinski

    Thu Nov 03, 2011 16:55 EST
 
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/journey-to-manhood-a-former-transsexual-tells-his-story/ (http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/journey-to-manhood-a-former-transsexual-tells-his-story/)

CARLSBAD, California, November 3, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Walt Heyer was a little boy growing up in California in the mid 1940s, interested in cowboys, cars and steel guitars when one day, his grandmother fancied that he wanted to be a girl. She naively made for him a purple chiffon evening dress that he would wear when he visited her.

According to Walt, donning that purple chiffon dress triggered something that put him on a 35 year long path that led through a dark valley of "torment, disillusionment, regret, and sorrow." His gender identity confusion led him into alcoholism, drug addiction, and attempted suicide.

Ultimately, Walt would resort to vaginoplasty "gender reassignment surgery" to make himself appear like a woman, something that he came deeply to regret and that he now counsels gender confused individuals to steer clear of. "He (God) had made me a man, the way I was, and no knife was ever going to change that," Walt told LifeSiteNews.com in a recent interview.
Title: Re: Journey to manhood: a former ‘transsexual’ tells his story
Post by: cynthialee on November 04, 2011, 10:11:51 AM
I wish I could tell him: ok you screwed up and had SRS when you shouldn't have.

Don't try and talk the rest of us out of transition in favor of the church.
Been there, got the merit badge.

Personally I understand that there are some who never should transition. But when they start with the god talk and insisting that transition is bad for everyone ...

yeah that bucket has a hole in it and it won't carry watter
Title: Re: Journey to manhood: a former ‘transsexual’ tells his story
Post by: spacial on November 04, 2011, 11:03:47 AM
Grandmother makes a purple chiffon evening dress for her grandson. He wears it. All perfectly natural. Happens to everyone now and again. (I wish).

Sorry, I just find this story so funny. No doubt, if any questions were raised, then those who made it up would suddenly come out with some other titbit.

Grandmothers don't just make purple chiffon evening dress's for their grandsons.
Title: Re: Journey to manhood: a former ‘transsexual’ tells his story
Post by: Joelene9 on November 04, 2011, 01:27:03 PM
Quote from: spacial on November 04, 2011, 11:03:47 AM
Grandmother makes a purple chiffon evening dress for her grandson. He wears it. All perfectly natural. Happens to everyone now and again. (I wish).

Sorry, I just find this story so funny. No doubt, if any questions were raised, then those who made it up would suddenly come out with some other titbit.

Grandmothers don't just make purple chiffon evening dress's for their grandsons.
Oh, really?  http://www.themarysue.com/gender-specific-clothing-for-children/ (http://www.themarysue.com/gender-specific-clothing-for-children/)
  Joelene
Title: Re: Journey to manhood: a former ‘transsexual’ tells his story
Post by: Mahsa Tezani on November 04, 2011, 01:57:47 PM
Apparently, Grandma doesn't know best.
Title: Re: Journey to manhood: a former ‘transsexual’ tells his story
Post by: spacial on November 04, 2011, 05:01:31 PM
Quote from: Joelene9 on November 04, 2011, 01:27:03 PM
  Oh, really?  http://www.themarysue.com/gender-specific-clothing-for-children/ (http://www.themarysue.com/gender-specific-clothing-for-children/)
  Joelene

Very pretty, but those sort of attitudes weren't prevalent in the 1940s.

Moreover, if putting a small boy into a dress were enough to make him become transgender, then a lot more young men would be so.

I just find this story to be very weird.
Title: Re: Journey to manhood: a former ‘transsexual’ tells his story
Post by: Shana A on November 04, 2011, 05:43:07 PM
Quote from: spacial on November 04, 2011, 05:01:31 PM
I just find this story to be very weird.

LifeSiteNews is not a legitimate news organization, they're a "news" blog of American fundamentalist (extreme IMO) Christians. The so called former 'transsexual' who is interviewed has written a book, and is likely doing interviews to promote sales of said book. Needless to say, I will not be buying a copy of this book!

Z

Title: Re: Journey to manhood: a former ‘transsexual’ tells his story
Post by: Joandelynn on November 04, 2011, 06:01:29 PM
Quote from: Zythyra on November 04, 2011, 05:43:07 PMThe so called former 'transsexual' who is interviewed has written a book, and is likely doing interviews to promote sales of said book.

He is also making awesome youtube videos (http://tinyurl.com/664lhzn)  :P
Title: Re: Journey to manhood: a former ‘transsexual’ tells his story
Post by: Zaria on November 04, 2011, 06:13:39 PM
I wish my Grandmother would have made me a purple chiffon evening dress :)
Title: Re: Journey to manhood: a former ‘transsexual’ tells his story
Post by: Mahsa Tezani on November 04, 2011, 06:56:18 PM
Quote from: Joandelynn on November 04, 2011, 06:01:29 PM
He is also making awesome youtube videos (http://tinyurl.com/664lhzn)  :P

So? He has a right to express his opinion.
Title: Re: Journey to manhood: a former ‘transsexual’ tells his story
Post by: Joandelynn on November 04, 2011, 06:59:46 PM
Quote from: Mahsa the disco shark on November 04, 2011, 06:56:18 PM
So? He has a right to express his opinion.

I reread my post several times, but I can't find the place where I said that he didn't have that right...
Title: Re: Journey to manhood: a former ‘transsexual’ tells his story
Post by: Mahsa Tezani on November 04, 2011, 07:04:37 PM
Quote from: Joandelynn on November 04, 2011, 06:59:46 PM
I reread my post several times, but I can't find the place where I said that he didn't have that right...

My apologies.
Title: Re: Journey to manhood: a former ‘transsexual’ tells his story
Post by: Shana A on November 04, 2011, 09:42:08 PM
Quote from: Mahsa the disco shark on November 04, 2011, 06:56:18 PM
So? He has a right to express his opinion.

Yes, he does have a right to express his opinions. We also have a right to choose whether or not to watch his videos or buy his books.

Z
Title: Re: Journey to manhood: a former ‘transsexual’ tells his story
Post by: Mahsa Tezani on November 04, 2011, 10:12:55 PM
Quote from: Zythyra on November 04, 2011, 09:42:08 PM
Yes, he does have a right to express his opinions. We also have a right to choose whether or not to watch his videos or buy his books.

Z

We? I am not a "we" I am the eternal "I"
Title: Re: Journey to manhood: a former ‘transsexual’ tells his story
Post by: Sailor_Saturn on November 04, 2011, 10:25:15 PM
We have to deal with another one of these fraudulent, scientifically-inaccurate propaganda pieces that the masses just love to believe in order to vindicate their previously held prejudices about our community? Just how much are we expected to withstand? His freedom of speech shouldn't trump the advancement of our civil liberties, and that's the damned truth.
Title: Re: Journey to manhood: a former ‘transsexual’ tells his story
Post by: cynthialee on November 04, 2011, 10:38:59 PM
for every bad transition the religious right can point to, we have a hundred success's we can point to

This man has a right to free speach. He is not single handedly derailing our rights.
Granted he is a douche, but he still has the right to say his piece.
Title: Re: Journey to manhood: a former ‘transsexual’ tells his story
Post by: spacial on November 05, 2011, 07:20:01 AM
He does and we have a right to respond.

He seeks to portray what he believes, was his mistake, as an example to others. That is commendable. It must be defended by all who support freedom.

This individual doesn't make it clear in the short article, but many who mke similar claims and many others who voice opinions about transgender either say or imply, that it shouldn't be permitted. Or that those who have undertaken the journey, should be any less than those who haven't.

That is not acceptable.

The right to express ourselves is fundimental to freedom. Those that question the freedom of others deserve response.

In the article, this man makes some claims that are suspect. Namely, that as a boy, growing in in the 1940, his grandmother suddenly decided to make a purple chiffon evening dress for him to wear while she was visited. The article doesn't say how old the boy was but says he was interested in cowboys, cars and steel guitars, so we can assume he was at least 8 or 9 years.

Yet his parents, his school, his peers, said nothing? I'm sorry, but I find this difficult to believe.

I appreciate that pictures have emerged of boys in the 19th century, wearing what appear to be girl's clothes. But context is everything.

I also appreciate the old argument that this happened in some backwater which the rest of humanity knows nothing about. Nice that no-one thought to mention such a point. Though I would believe such a claim even less.

What this boils down to is a preposterus claim by one man, used to justify his cursade against others who have done him no harm.

The question about transgender is the same for anything else. Does it harm others? Is it detrimental to the greater good? The answer is no.

Many decisions are irreversable. Even if, some time later we regret them. We live in freedom and have a right to decide how we choose to live. The only tolerable restriction upon freedom can be the harm it may do to others.